Spring Transitions

Happy Hump Day all!

This time of year is always tricky for me with DST and the transition of Winter into Spring. Lemme tell ya, DST has been kicking my butt! The time change has thrown off my sleep schedule so much I’ve been dragging myself out the bed in the morning. Last night I was finally able to get a full night of sleep so I hope this is a sign my body has adjusted to the time change. We’ll see!

Now that Spring is a mere week away I so badly want to ditch my down coat and multiple layers but the lingering cold weather won’t allow it. So until the weather warms, my Winter clothes will be sticking around. My outfit today is a combination of both seasons . Representing Winter we have my opaque tights, suede flats and spotted long sleeve cardigan. In the Spring corner we have my yellow pencil skirt, floral necklace and pink belt. The outfit works because I get to feel “Springy” while keeping warm against the late Winter chill.

How do you adjust to Spring transitions?

Have a wonderful day!

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Skirt: Eloquii

Cardigan: Old Navy

Necklace: Forever 21

Belt: Target

Flats: Truth or Dare by Madonna (via Macys)

Casual Friday/ Goodbye Eloquii & Wild Berry

TGIF everyone!

Yesterday I was saddened to find out that Eloquii (The Limited’s plus size brand) was phasing out at the end of the summer. When I first heard about The Limited’s venture into the plus size market a year ago I was very excited. Their clothes in my opinion were well made and fit into all aspects of my life, especially work. Plus size women have different styles and want variety in our clothing to fit our personal tastes. To assume all plus size women dress the same is absurd. Eloquii provided another option for quality and stylish plus size clothing. In the end, I really hope another company buys the brand and continues Eloquii. It would be a shame to lose another plus size retailer, further shrinking our already limited clothing options.

Here are some of my favorite Eloquii outfits:

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My outfit today is inspired by a comment made by Nicole from A Well Rounded Venture on Monday’s post. Her comment ” I keep hearing people say leopard is a neutral-it must be true!” got me thinking about other colors I could wear my blouse with. I usually wear leopard print with colors like brown, black or burgundy to be safe. I wanted to switch it up, so after rummaging through my closet I decided to wear it with my purple pencil skirt and magenta blazer. I was very happy with this departure from my typical leopard print outfit. I really liked the print with berry colors. Nicole’s comment helped me to break out of wearing only dark colors with leopard print and remix my wardrobe! Thanks Nicole!

Have a wonderful weekend!

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Skirt: Sejour (Nordstrom)

Blouse: Old Navy

Blazer: Kohls

Shoes: Truth or Dare by Madonna (via Macys)

Perfectly Pleated…Again

Happy Hump Day all!

What can I say, I absolutely love this skirt! Unfortunately I haven’t worn it in a while because of the brutal cold but today the weather was in the upper 50′s so I whipped it out! I paired it with my green peplum top, dark green faux leather jacket and leopard print kitten heels to keep in season.  Now that the weather is slowly improving, this skirt will get a lot of wear.

What clothes are you excited to wear once the weather gets warmer?

P.S. The bag was my other birthday gift to myself  ;)

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Jacket: Kohls

Shirt: ASOS Curve

Belt: ASOS Curve

Skirt: Eloquii

Shoes: Nine West

Necklace: Gap Outlet

Bag: Louis Vuitton

MLK, Obama & Stripes

Happy Monday all!

I’m filled with pride today that President Obama was sworn in for a second term (yay!) and remembering the courage of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. The gains of the Civil Rights Movement allowed me to obtain a higher education, become a professional and enjoy the same rights as other Americans. I can now say in my lifetime Ive witnessed my country elect a biracial man for president twice. I am profoundly grateful for Dr. King and all those who sacrificed so much for my generation and generations to come.

Now there is no way I could write this and not mention my style hero Michelle Obama. She wore a magnificent fit and flare blue (checkered I believe) coat accentuated by a wonderful statement belt from J Crew. And her bangs?! Gorgeous! Under that fab coat Michelle rocked a simple blue and white striped dress which made me clap with glee. Why so happy you ask? Stripes happen to be my latest print obsession. So when I saw the FLOTUS wear it I had to share some wonderful striped pieces to add to your wardrobe!

Have a great day!

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Casual Friday/The Olivia Pope Edition

TGIF all!

Its been a long time since I’ve been excited about a television show.  “Scandal” (Thursdays, 10pm on ABC) instantly sucked me into the world of Olivia Pope  (played by the wonderful Kerry Washington) and her “gladiators in suits”.  On Thursday nights you’ll find me glued to the television (and Twitter! LOL) watching the twists and turns unfold on this great show.  I’m thrilled to see a  strong, flawed and intelligent African-American woman being portrayed on prime time television.  Her character isn’t some stereotypical depiction of a women of color.  The show allows Olivia Pope to be  a human being  with all its complexities.

Aside from Olivia Pope’s personal attributes, her style is FIERCE! Everything from her crisp white trench down to her stilettos is always on point.

olivia-pope

Olivia Pope’s sleek professional style inspired my outfit today.  I’ve been searching for a colored suit for a minute so when I stumbled upon these Calvin Klein separates I scooped them up.  Red is  a powerful, vibrant color so wearing it was the perfect way to pay tribute to her.

If you get an opportunity, check out “Scandal” on Hulu, Netflix or at ABC.com for full episodes.

Have a wonderful weekend!

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Blazer: Calvin Klein (Lord & Taylor)

Pants: Calvin Klein (Macys)

Blouse: Eloquii

Shoes: BCBGenerations

The Best of 2012

Happy Monday all!

Initially I wasn’t going to do a “best of” post but I decided to do one anyway.  I picked these outfits because they were so fun to wear! The outfits are special to me because they show me embracing my body.  No more hiding and following ridiculous fashion “rules”. If I like it and feel comfortable, I’m gonna wear it!

In keeping with New Year traditions, I’ve only made two resolutions that I know I will not break:

1. Exercise & be healthy

2. Travel more (I’m heading to Vegas later this month, Paris in April and Chicago in July)

What are your New Year resolutions?

Have a great day!

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Casual Friday/Fighting Old Man Winter

TGIF all!

Without realizing it, I’m wearing the  winterized version of this outfit I wore back in August.  Winter is my least favorite season so I can get a little gloomy while impatiently waiting for the Spring to come.  This year I plan to continue to wear bright colors and cheery outfits such as this one to keep the “winter blues” away.   I think this Gap blazer I ordered today should help out immensely!

Gap neon blazer

How do you combat the “winter blues”?

Have a wonderful evening!

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Cardigan: Old Navy

Skirt: Talbots Woman

Shell: Fashion Bug

Necklace: Forever 21

Belt: Eloquii

Office Party Shine

Happy Hump Day all!

The holiday season always makes me want to  dress up, so I decided to add some glam to my outfit today for my department’s Christmas party. This sequin shirt from Eloquii was a perfect choice because it has just enough sparkle that doesn’t overwhelm the outfit. Pairing it with my herringbone slacks and  teal jacket tones down the sequins and makes it work appropriate. I didn’t want to wear plain brown shoes so slipped on my favorite leopard print heels (hey I’m pattern mixing!). I then added gold accessories to complete my outfit.

Speaking of glam, if you’re still looking for that perfect holiday dress IGIGI has some wonderful deals for you! From Thursday, December 20th until Wednesday December 26th, take 20% off dresses with the code TIME2SHINE. And don’t worry about paying extra for shipping, IGIGI is offering free shipping and returns on all continental US orders until December 30th. No minimum to ship and no code needed…isnt that great?!

Have a wonderful day!

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Jacket: Kohls

Tank: Eloquii

Pants: Lane Bryant

Shoes: Nine West

Necklace: Macys

Bracelet: Lord & Taylor

Summer Hold Over Pt. 2

Happy Hump Day all!

In keeping with my promise to re-purpose some of my Summer clothes, I decided to wear this yellow skirt from Eloquii today. During the Summer I got a lot of wear out of this skirt primarily because I love yellow. Lately I’ve been abandoning the traditional Fall/Winter hues for more bright, fun colors. I chose my teal cowl neck sweater with the skirt to punch up the color combination. I added a yellow skinny belt to reduce the bulkiness of the sweater and give the outfit a more pulled together look. Can I digress for a moment to say how much I love Eloquii’s adjustable belts! Belts are often a crap shoot for me because they are either too short or too long. Their adjustable belts (I have more than one!) lets me determine how much belt I need. These belts have saved my outfit on many occasions!

My outfit is light on accessories because I don’t know what kind of necklace to wear with cowl necks. I feel like a long necklace would get swallowed up by the cowl. If anyone has any suggestions on what necklace to wear please feel free to share.

How are re-purposing your Summer clothes for Fall/Winter?

Have a great evening!

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Sweater: Old Navy

Skirt: Eloquii

Belt: Eloquii

Casual Friday/Wake Up Call

TGIF all!

I want to apologize for the lapse in posting. I got sick on Monday and have been out of it until today.  I had been having stomach problems for the past few weeks and I just chalked it up to being lactose intolerant.  But on Tuesday, things got worse with severe abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting.  I knew then it was something more than just lactose intolerance.  After spending a few hours in the ER and an ultrasound, I learned that I have gallstones which where causing my symptoms.  The doctor advised me that I would have change my eating and adopt a low fat diet avoid further painful episodes.   So no more fried and fatty foods which much to my dismay, has been the majority of my diet.  It’s one thing to look good on the outside but it’s another to take shitty care of yourself  inside. I’m not gonna lie, eliminating a lot of foods that I love has been downright frustrating, but it’s a must.   I’ll still enjoy a french fry or naughty desert once in a while but just not every other day.

On a happier note, I feel better and what way to show that by wearing a great dress!  When I was contacted by IGIGI to review one of their dresses, I nearly did a somersault!  I’ve been a huge fan of IGIGI for a while now, so this was an awesome opportunity.  I picked the Isolde Belted Dress in Parisian Green because I wanted something different from the dresses that I normally wear.  IGIGI doesn’t shy away from the full figure, they embrace it.  The material is not flimsy or thin.  It’s well constructed and contours to your body but not constricting.  The shape of the dress definitely holds up during the day.  I could easily move around due the stretch in the dress. The dolman sleeves don’t swallow up the dress like some dolman sleeve dresses do. I didn’t feel like I had bat wings or extra material under my arms.  I like showing off my shape so this might be a little too fitted for some, but go up a size if  you want a looser fit. You will still look fabulous!

Have a wonderful weekend!

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 Dress: IGIGI (gifted)

Belt: Eloquii (a belt comes w/the dress, but I decided to wear this one)